The last update! Breaking news! Both of the Quester groups are safely back at Saltash Mountain Camp! And, already, the Long Trail Questers have plans to paddle out to a camping spot on Lake Ninevah tonight, and the Adirondack Questers will be performing their trip skit to the whole camp during tonight’s Variety Show! I walked down to the crafts barn to see how they were doing, and Max was in a carrot suit, among many other exciting outfits. . so I’m sure the skit is going to be marvelous!
But how are the kids, you ask?! There is no better way to put it better than cabin staff, Isaac, who said to the Quester leaders, “Your kids look different. There’s something older and more mature about them. You can definitely see that they’ve changed.”
That they have indeed. They’ve changed in so many ways. I had the opportunity to be a part of the final night with both groups “on trail”. Both nights there were conversations about how the group felt that they had changed from this experience, and also what they appreciated and felt grateful for throughout the trip. My ears heard some amazing things. . things that made me smile, things that pulled on my heartstrings, things that nearly brought tears to my eyes, things that anybody would be proud to hear. They spoke of overcoming adversity, such as difficult trail conditions, weather, and group dynamics.
They spoke of pushing themselves physically, beyond what they ever thought themselves capable. They spoke of gaining confidence because of how open-minded and non-judgmental everybody acted. They spoke of gratitude towards one another and towards their amazing leaders, who somehow managed to keep them under control and get them through the trip. They spoke of taking pleasure in the simplicity of life out in the woods. They spoke of a deeper understanding of themselves as individuals and also how they function within a small community. And they also spoke of silliness, farts and invented trail songs (let’s not get too serious and sentimental here). So, I know firsthand the ways in which the Questers perceive themselves as having changed.
Yet, I’ve also seen both groups change in ways that they probably haven’t noticed themselves. . the ways in which they carry themselves with more confidence, and the ways in which they interact with other members of the F&W community, as humble leaders. They’ve got a lot of younger (and older) people looking up to them these days. In fact, just one hour ago at SAM camp, I was an audience member for a presentation given by campers in the Girls Wilderness Program at Indian Brook. After their wonderful presentation, Hannah (Long Trail leader) asked the girls what types of adventures would be next for them. After a brief silence during which the girls were thinking hard, one of them finally said “Questers!” So, there you have it!
And now for some details of the final few days on trail: Jeff and I drove all the way up to “almost Canada”, stopping at a farm and farmer’s market on the way for last-minute fresh treats (the guy literally cut the lettuce out of the dirt right at our feet!), bumped down the most unroad-like road the that van probably has ever bumped down, parked at the end of Journey’s End Road, and hiked a short distance to meet the group, our backpacks filled with treats and instruments strapped around our necks. Spirits were high! After all, the group had only just hiked 280 miles, the entire length of a state, and not just any state, but the Green Mountain State!! Oh boy, did we cook a feast! I’m sure the Journey’s End shelter has seem some feasts and celebrations in its’ days, and let this be another one to add to the final meals of the incredible journeys that this shelter has been the last night for. We had pulled pork, we had cole slaw, we had homemade BBQ sauce, we had fresh lettuce, carrots, cucumber, and tomatoes (and a vinaigrette salad dressing), we had baked beans, we had BBQ temp-eh . but the most exciting. . we had a cherry pie AND an apple pie, AND two, not one, but two cans of Cabot whipped cream.
Jeff, Oliver, Hannah, and I secretly covered the pies in whipped cream with the letters “L” and “T”, and ceremoniously walked over to the group, singing (to the tune of “Happy Birthday”) “Happy Questers to you! Happy Questers to you!” One can went on the generous slices of pie we dished out, while the other can was dedicated directly to the mouths of our baby bird Questers (. . well, that’s what they looked like with their mouths open, making sounds which we translated as “feed me, feed me”). Sitting around a glorious fire, our bellies incredibly full, after playing music and having one of those heartstring-pulling conversations that I mentioned earlier, we fell asleep tired and content.
The next morning, we hiked a brutal .7 miles on a gradual downhill trail to the van. Back in the van, which certainly was a strange sensation for the hikers to be moving faster than a few miles per hour, we drove what the Questers had just hiked. They called out mountains they recognized, which brought on stories of funny incidents, quotes, meals or trail conditions. We drove until we hit Ben & Jerry’s, at which point we promptly stopped driving, and proceeded to eat excessive amounts of ice cream. A few weeks is a long time for a teenager to go without ice cream (let’s not forget they did have Ben & Jerry’s from Amelia’s family on Visiting Day). Jeff, Hannah, Oliver, and I each had our own small ice cream, while the Questers shared a Vermonster, which, for those of you who do not know, is a giant tub filled with 25 scoops of ice cream and various toppings. Oh. . my. . goodness!! Talk about a feeding frenzy! To see eight spoons aggressively scooping into a single tub of ice cream, is quite the sight. It’s such a bizarre sight, that they had a few random people approach them, asking to photograph this entertaining spectacle. I mean, how often does one get to see such a thing? Eight teenagers, one tub, 25 scoops! After the picture was taken, the Questers proudly announced, “We just hiked the length of Vermont. . so, we’re pretty hungry!” All I could do was laugh. . and take more photos myself!
We arrived at camp to an extremely warm welcome, shouts and hollers, and loads of hugs. Pizza was served that night, so the Questers ate as much as they possibly could. You’d think they were starving out on the trail! That evenings’ activity was Trip Skits, as the SAMmers were also returning from their week-long trips that same day. The Questers put on quite the performance, with commercial breaks and everything. It was very well-received and I’m sure will be receiving an outstanding review.
The next few days for the Long Trail Questers were quite busy. They went on tour with their skit, embracing an exhausting performance schedule of gigs at each of the other F&W camps, as well as at the main office. The word has been spread: this Long Trail Quester group is amazing!!
And so is the Adirondack Quester group, whom I have just spent four wonderful days with. I had a day at camp to prepare for their rock climbing section (cutting cheese, cracking eggs into a water bottle, picking kale from the garden, and the like), and then I was off again to the Adirondacks. From what I heard, the backpacking section went extremely well for this group, ending with a group solo hike on Giant Mountain. What I heard most about were the amazing views they had. It did rain on them a bit each day, but that did not seem to be any deterrent for their high spirits and somewhat silly personalities. I always take lots of laughter as a very good sign. And this group has no shortage of that.
The next two days were comprised of harnesses, ropes, carabiners, helmets, climbing lingo, fears confronted and conquered, and limits pushed. We had a few who are scared of heights, but who challenged and pushed themselves nonetheless and impressed with both their courage and bravery. While not scaling the rock walls, we had a lot of hangout time at the base of the cliffs. We read to each other, quizzed each other on natural phenomena (I just want to say that this group is super smart when it comes to natural phenomena!), updated personal and group journals, prepared delicious lunches, including a bagel, cream cheese, fresh basil, and smoked salmon lunch (fancy, eh?), and enjoyed each other’s company and interesting conversation topics.
The first night was the night of free music in Lake Placid, which the group was super excited to go to. After devouring ice cream cones, there was a reggae band playing, and I am proud to say that we were the ones to start the dance revolution! Somebody’s got to start it! All it takes is one person. We had almost everybody in the group up and dancing for the entire concert. Emmanuel (who has some sweeeet dance moves, by the way) said how much he missed dancing and appreciated the time to let loose!
Another one of the highlights from these few days were the gourmet meals that we cooked for our dinners. The first night, we cooked beef and turkey burgers (some over the fire), as well as absolutely mouth-watering chicken sausages, along with sauteed veggies and baked beans. Dessert was rich chocolate brownies, baked to perfection over the fire, thanks to our trusty fry-bake pan! The second night we prepared a delectable mac ’n ’cheese meal, with a creamy pesto cheese sauce and sauteed veggies. Ethan prepared an incredible corn bread, also baked over the fire, which was quite memorable and delicious. The third night we created individual pita pizzas with a variety of toppings, such as gourmet summer sausage. The final dessert was s’mores and one of my all-time favorite campfire desserts, bread-on-a-stick, in which a sweet bread dough is wrapped around the end of a stick, baked in the fire, then stuffed with chocolate chips, which promptly melt inside the bread. Yum!! Around the glowing fire, the group spoke of how much they have enjoyed the trip, how awesome they think each other are, how quickly the trip has passed by, and how much fun they have had.
And now we’re up to this morning, in which we packed up camp for the last time. . dripped those last 14 drops of AquaMira into our water for the last time, circled up on trail for the last time, and enjoyed our final trail breakfast of English muffins packed with scrambled eggs, cheese, and avocado.
The culmination and ending of a journey, such as that our Questers experienced, is bittersweet. The end of the trail brought many tears, but also many smiles and unforgettable memories, as well as significant lessons and understanding about physical, emotional and community capabilities. Let these journeys be new beginnings for the Questers.
Thank you for reading these updates. It was a pleasure to write about the Questers. Good luck to everybody!